The Quebec government authorized a temporary expansion of the Terrebonne landfill to allow workers to pile garbage higher than previously permitted [1].
This emergency measure is necessary because the province's largest landfill is expected to reach its maximum capacity in less than one year [1], [2]. Without the authorization to increase the height of the waste piles, the region would face a critical shortage of disposal space for municipal waste.
The landfill is located in Terrebonne, north of Montreal [1], [3]. The decision comes as waste management officials struggle to find long-term alternatives to the site while continuing to handle the daily volume of garbage generated by the surrounding population.
Government officials granted the approval to avoid a waste crisis that would leave the area without a primary disposal site [2]. The temporary nature of the expansion is intended to provide a buffer while the government and local authorities seek a more sustainable solution for the region's waste management needs [1].
By allowing the site to exceed its original height limits, the province can extend the operational life of the facility for a short period [3]. This move prevents an immediate shutdown of the site, which would force waste to be transported to more distant landfills, increasing costs and carbon emissions from transport trucks [1].
The Terrebonne facility remains the most significant waste site in the province [2]. Its impending closure without an expansion would have disrupted waste collection services across several municipalities north of Montreal [3].
“The province's largest landfill is expected to reach its maximum capacity in less than a year.”
This emergency authorization highlights a growing crisis in regional waste infrastructure. By relying on temporary height increases rather than new sites or aggressive diversion strategies, the government is delaying an inevitable capacity wall. This approach underscores the difficulty of siting new landfills in populated areas and the urgent need for systemic changes in waste reduction to avoid future emergency measures.
